According to Vogue U.K., Saint Laurent CEO, Paul Deneve, has slammed the rivalry between Hedi Slimane and Raf Simons that has been the emphasis of industry speculation in recent months.

"It was about so much more than Hedi vs. Raf," he wrote in an open letter to WWD, slamming anyone who opted to "reduce the collective talent of all designers showing in Pairs to a so-called duel between two fashion houses and two men."

"To caricature the arrival of Hedi Slimane at Yves Saint Laurent to a banal rivalry with another house or designer encourages people to relegate fashion to a sideshow rather than the main event," Deneve said. "In particular, it obscures what is a much richer and I think more important moment in the fashion industry. Hedi's choice to join YSL was motivated by a very clear vision for the house, which means round-the-clock work for him and all my teams to turn that vision into a reality for all to see and enjoy."

By focusing on the Slimane vs. Simons comparison, Deneve felt fashion critics weren't giving enough attention to the "many other talents who showed."